RIO de Janeiro has Christ the Redeemer, Paris boasts the Eiffel Tower and New York's got the Statue of Liberty.

And closer to home there's Gateshead's Angel of the North, so what about Taunton?

Well, moves are underway to put up a "unique, iconic and spectacular" piece of artwork visible to travellers on the M5 and train passengers.

Talks have been held about siting it high up on Creechbarrow Hill inside the UK Hydrographic Office campus - where the three Easter crosses are installed every year.

But a stand-out monument that will put Taunton on the map won't come cheap - and it's not likely to happen any time soon.

The project is the brainchild of ArtsTaunton chairman Kit Chapman, who has already spoken to bosses at the UKHO, on Admiralty Way.

"They're very excited about it, but there are a lot of hoops to go through as it's a sensitive, secure site," said Mr Chapman.

"They have to discuss it with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, which looks after the Ministry of Defence's property and land.

"There's a long way to go, but the principle has been established.

"Later this month, we're meeting with the archivists and cartographers at the UKHO to talk about what they do and to draw up an artistic brief for this piece of art.

"We want something that will be unique, iconic and spectacular, to mark Taunton out as a very special place.

"We're at the starting gate and off, but we've got a long way to go."

A UKHO spokeswoman said: "We have been approached by Arts Taunton to locate a landmark sculpture on Creechbarrow Hill within the UKHO site on Admiralty Way.

"Discussions about feasibility are at a very early stage and consultation with a number of stakeholders will be required before a decision can be made."